shovel

/ˈʃʌvəl/

/ˈʃʌvəl/

Other forms: shovels; shoveling; shoveled; shovelled; shovelling

A shovel is the tool you need if you want to dig holes in the ground. If you're taking your younger cousins to the beach, be sure to bring lots of pails and shovels so they can build a sandcastle.

A shovel has a long handle and a wide, curved blade at the end. By pushing the end of the shovel into the ground and scooping, you can shovel out enough soil to make room for the treasure chest you want to bury. Shovels are useful for clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways too, and you can describe the amount of dirt carried in a shovel as a shovel (or shovelful) of dirt.

Definitions of shovel

1. noun

   a hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
   types:

   hand shovel

   a shovel that is operated by hand

   post-hole digger, posthole digger

   a shovel used to sink postholes

   scoop, scoop shovel

   the shovel or bucket of a dredge or backhoe

   coal shovel

   a hand shovel for shoveling coal

   entrenching tool, trenching spade

   a hand shovel carried by infantrymen for digging trenches

   spade

   a sturdy hand shovel that can be pushed into the earth with the foot

   spud, stump spud

   a sharp hand shovel for digging out roots and weeds

   type of:

   hand tool

   a tool used with workers' hands
2. noun

   a fire iron consisting of a small shovel used to scoop coals or ashes in a fireplace
   type of:

   fire iron

   metal fireside implements
3. noun

   a machine for excavating
   synonyms: digger, excavator, power shovel

   types:

   backhoe

   an excavator whose shovel bucket is attached to a hinged boom and is drawn backward to move earth

   dredge

   a power shovel to remove material from a channel or riverbed

   steam shovel

   a power shovel that is driven by steam

   type of:

   machine

   any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
4. noun

   the quantity a shovel can hold
   synonyms: shovelful, spadeful

   type of:

   containerful

   the quantity that a container will hold
5. verb

   dig with or as if with a shovel
   “shovel sand”

   “he shovelled in the backyard all afternoon long”

   type of:

   cut into, delve, dig, turn over

   turn up, loosen, or remove earth